Kingdom Hearts III: Graveyard of Memories
by Demmy
Summary: The story goes on, as the memories fade. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, now with Kairi, Riku and the King, find new worlds, old friends, and more. Faces they thought would never see again, appear. The people they long to see, had forgotten. Heavy with spoilers
1. Back to Radiant Garden

**Kingdom Hearts III: Graveyard of Memories**

A/N: Hey there. I'm Demsa, Taru-chan if you go on Gaia too. This is my first fanfic under this account. I used to have another account back when I was in fifth grade, but I forgot the password. I hope you enjoy this fanfic!

Notes: _ITALICS---_ Shows flashbacks and memories. I also use them for thoughts but I use ' ' with them for thoughts.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did... Well... Let's just say that shounen-ai fans would love it even more. XD

**--Chapter One: Back to Radiant Garden--**

_"Kairi! Hikari! Come here!" shouted an old woman in a very old-fashoined dress. She was in the private library on the top floor of one Radiant Garden's castles. Unlike the more public library, this one contained many old pictures of past members of the famous Himatsu family. The books stored here were mainly journals of late members. The more older family members knew how important this place was, but to the younger ones, like Kairi, it held nothing of interest. Hikari, on the other hand, was surprised to be called in there. Her family owned a castle in Radiant Garden, and had a private library like Kairi's family did, but no one was allowed, not even Hikari._

_They walked inside the room, looking for the old lady._

_"What, Grandma?" Kairi asked. She and Hikari walked over to the old woman sitting at a table, with a book in hand. She lifted her head and smiled at the two children._

_"I-Is it all right for me to be in here, ma'am?" Hikari asked, a bit nervous. The elder patted Hikari's dark-haired head._

_"It's quite all right, my dear. I asked you both becuase...well... I am a bit worried. You know the old saying, 'History repeats itself.'" She moved a wrinkled hand over the book._

_"What's this have to do with us, Grandma?" Kairi asked, she'd rather be outside playing, not in an old library._

_"Now, now, child... Please be pa- Oh my!" A tremor-like force shook through the castle, making some old books fall off their shelves. Kairi's grandmother rushed to put them back._

_"G-Grandma! W-What was that!" Kairi exclaimed, clutching to Hikari, who was doing the same to Kairi._

_Another tremor, this one more powerful from the last._

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"Mmm.. Uhh..." Kairi groaned in her sleep. She tossed and turned as she sweated from her nightmare. "N-No..."

"Kairi?"

Kairi sat up in her bed, looking around for the owner of the voice who spoke her name. Brushing her sweat soaked brown hair from her eyes, she saw no one. All she saw was the nicely dressed hotel room in Radiant Garden. It was nice and simple, nothing fancy. The letter King Mickey had sent stated that the three should head to Radiant Garden to meet up there. Donald and Goofy were sent to pick them up and bring them there via Gummi Ship. Yuffie, being her perky self, had greeted them and updated them on what has been going on in Radiant Garden. Though it had only been one year, much had been restored and new places were even added. The hotel Kairi and them were staying in was one of those new additions. Since the hotel wasn't busy, they each got their own room.

"Kairi, you okay?" Kairi finally identified the voice.

"N-Namine?" No wonder she couldn't find the person in her room, the person was in her.

"You were having a bad dream, what was it about? That is, if you don't mind talking about it."

"I... I can't remember it anymore..."

Rising from the bed, she opened the curtain, letting the early morning sunshine in. Over the year, Kairi hadn't grown much. Her bust did grown a bit, but not anything noticable and her hair grew longer too. After taking a quick shower, she brushed and threw on her new attire. She decided to change her outfit a bit, unlike Sora and Riku, they stuck to what they had worn before. Kairi now wore a pink zip-up sleeveless shirt and a pair of white shorts with a blue strip down each side, reaching down around the top of her knees. The only thing that stayed the same were her shoes, her feet didn't grow one millimeter over the year, and she was quite happy about that.

"Hey! Kairi! You awake?" Sora shouted as he knocked on her door.

Kairi smiled.

_'Sora... You really don't change, do you? I'm glad...'_ Kairi quickly brushed her hair and tied it in a sloppy ponytail with a green hairband. After putting on the necklace she had even before she had arrived on Destiny Island, she opened the door to see a familar face with a more familar dumb smile on his face. He had grown too, but Kairi wasn't sure if it was his actual height or his hair height that had grown. Since Sora had been away from Destiny Island, he had dedicated himself to the many beaches on the islands, missing that nice sand against your skin feeling. He had gotten a very good tan, but now it had faded a bit.

"Hey, Sora. Is Riku up yet?" Kairi asked as she walked down to the stairs with Sora. Their rooms were a bit spaced out, Kairi's on the top fifth floor, Riku's on the third floor and Sora on the second.

"Well, let's go see!" Sora answered. Kairi and Sora headed toward the elevator and Kairi pressed the 'down' button. Once it opened and they both entered, Kairi and Sora laughed, remembering their first time on the elevator. Riku had almost got caught in the door, Sora got a bit too button happy, and Kairi held onto the bar as if her life depended on it when it had started to move.

Ding. They had arrived on the third floor and got off the elevator.

"Hey, Kairi? Which room is Riku's again?"

"I'm pretty sure it's the third one on the left side..." Kairi answered unsurely.

"I'll go knock." Sora headed toward the third door on the left side and knocked. "Hey! Riku! You awa-?" But was interupted by the door slamming him in the face. A tall, silver-haired teen stepped out, looking behind the door to find a red-faced Sora. Riku had gotten taller and a bit more muscular, he had a slight tan too for the same reason Sora did. His silver, slightly unruly hair grew longer and now reached down to the middle of his back. Riku got tired of having his hair blow everywhere, so he now kept it in a tight ponytail.

"Whoops, gotta be more careful, Sora." Riku said jokingly. Like Sora, he kept his same outfit, not bothering to change it. Kairi had asked them once why they didn't want to change it and their answer was, "Eh... Didn't feel like looking for more clothes...".

"Ha ha... Very funny, Riku." Sora said as Riku helped him up.

Kairi giggled, she loved when they were together, just hanging out and not needing to worry about anything. Though, she knew that it wouldn't last for long.

_'If King Mickey wanted all three of us to come here, then something must be going on...'_

The trio walked out of the hotel and headed towards the new Restoration headquarters, a large building located near the Bailey. As they made their way to the headquarters, they stopped by a stand and bought some food to eat. They each ordered and payed for some sandwiches and ate them as they walked.

"This place sure has changed... And for the better!" Sora said, looking at Radiant Garden's improvements and additions and comparing it to Hollow Bastion from a year ago. The destruction the mass of Heartless had left was now gone and rebuilt.

"Hey, guys!" shouted a cheerful voice. The young ninja leaped down from the top of one of the stores and landed right next to Sora.

"Hey, Yuffie!" Sora greeted. Yuffie hadn't changed much either. She grew about a couple of centimeters and her hair now reached down to her shoulders. Her outfit had a few changes. She still wore her short shorts, though black now instead of brown. Her old sleeveless vest was traded in for a pale green vest with sleeves. Her shirt was black with white chinese looking characters on them. Other than those changes, her boots, stockings and heaband stayed the exact same.

"Hey, Sora, these the friends you were looking for?" Yuffie asked.

Sora nodded and introduced them. He first pointed to the silver-haired teen.

"This is Riku," and then pointed to the brunette, "And this is Kairi."

Yuffie nodded in acknowledgement. "Pleasure to meet you two! I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!"

"Great Ninja Yuffie?" Kairi and Riku said in unison.

Sora laughed, remembering that was how she had first introduced herself to him back in Traverse Town. "Yup. The Great Ninja Yuffie. So, Great Ninja Yuffie," Sora added in there jokingly, " what's been going on here since the last time I was here?"

Yuffie grinned. "I'm glad you asked, Sora! As you can see, Radiant Garden's restoration has been going along very smoothly. The destruction the Heartless had left, we all worked hard to fix it and we sure did! After rebuilding almost everything, we decided to add some new additions. Some of the most recent are the hotel you guys stayed in and we added a few more stores. We even restored Ansem the Wise's old castle. Though, some of the more older books were destroyed beyond even Merlin's magical repair. Cid's been working in his Gummi Ship workshop ever since he built it. Leon's just going around to see what he can do to make Radiant Garden recover. If I remember correctly, Tifa, you remember her, right? The girl with the long hair, fights with her fists, and was searching for Cloud?"

Sora remembered who Yuffie was talking about. The girl who had punched the wall in Ansem's study. He nodded. "Yeah, I remember her."

"Well, she opened a bar somewhere. I haven't looked for it yet. Cid sometimes goes and helps Tifa if she's having a busy night. Oh yeah, Aerith opened up a nice little flower shop where Cloud spends most of his time. That's all I can think of at the moment." Yuffie finished.

"Wow, so much has happened..." Sora said as they kept walking. Yuffie kept rambaling on about this and that and next thing you know, they were already at the headquarters. It was a tall building and could easily be mistaken for some big-shot business building. It was about five stories high and a shade of silver painted on the

outside of it. Kept bushes lined the walkway leading toward the door, making it look almost professional. Yuffie went up to the door and typed in the password into the small keyboard next to the door.

"Leon said that this place was more than just a restoration headquarters, that's why he made us all know the password to get in." She pressed the enter button and the doors slided open. The first thing they saw was a reception area. There was a desk with a lady talking on the phone, chairs and tables with magazines and TVs on the news. Potted plants were scattered to make it look nice and the tile was nice and polished. It was a bit cold though, Kairi rubbed her arms a bit to keep the goosebumps down. Riku, Kairi and Sora all glanced at each other.

"Yeah, I know," Yuffie said as she lead them to the elevator. " it looks like a doctor's office ot something, right?" She pressed the up button and waited. "This place has a dual purpose." The elevator opened and they all stepped inside once a few people got off. Yuffie pressed the buttom with the number four on it. "Besides being the restoration headquarters, it's also the Information Center, where you can get maps of Radiant Garden and stuff like that."

Ding, went the elevator. They had arrived on the fourth floor. Walking out of the elevator, they saw three doors, each with a symbol on them. One had a red circle on it with a gold outline. The second one had a blue lion's head and the third was a pair of googles in green. Yuffie lead them into the second door.

"Leon!" Sora shouted as he spotted the tall, brown haired man sitting in front of a large computer. He turned around, revealing a scar on his face and sharp eyes. He stood up.

"Hey, Sora." he said. Leon still had his old outfit, nothing changed except that his hair grew about a centimeter longer. He glanced at the two unfamilar faces standing next to Sora. "Hey, are those the two you were looking for?"

Sora nodded and introduced them again to Leon. "Hey, Leon? Where's the King? He said that he wanted to see us, but he never told us where to meet him here in Radiant Garden."

"Yeah, the King is with Donald and Goofy in Ansem's study." answered Leon.

"Really? All right then! Let's go you guys!" Sora exclaimed. He grabbed Riku and Kairi's hands and dragged them out.

Leon sighed as he heard the door shut. "That Sora... Lively as ever..."

"Yup!" Yuffie said in agreement. "What do you think the King wanted with all three of them though?"

Leon shook his head. "I don't know, but it's probably important. If you're really that curious, ask Sora after the King tells them."

Now Yuffie took her turn of head shaking. "Nah. If it's really important, we'll all find out. Well, I'm gonna go see if Tifa will need any extra hands. Later! Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask you... Those buildings in the west, what's the deal with them? What're you gonna use them for?"

Leon smiled, as if he had a secret. "Those buildings... I have a plan for them, but I'm not ready to say what yet."

Yuffie tilted her head to the left in confusion, but then shrugged it off. "Whatever, later, Leon!"

"Later." Leon said as he went back to his computer.

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A/N: Pretty short, eh? Sorry! I'll try to have longer chapters as the story progresses! I hope you stick around for future chapters! Please review!


	2. A New Mission

**Kingdom Hearts III: Graveyard of Memories**

A/N: W00t! Second chapter! . I hope you enjoy! Oh ehm gee! Thank you so much, Duncan McGregor! Your review means quite a lot, especially since you were the first to review. :3 I'm glad someone is reading it.

Notes: _ITALICS---_ Shows flashbacks and memories. I also use them for thoughts but I use ' ' with them for thoughts.

------------------- Scene change, gotta love these things when ya get a bit lazy! And when I show that the chapter is over and have my little notes below it.

Scene change, but in a memory or dream.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did... Well... Let's just say that shounen-ai fans would love it even more. XD

**--Chapter Two: A New Mission --**

Mickey hadn't changed a bit. Still small, squeaky, and ears that looked much bigger then his gloved hands. Donald and Goofy stood next to the King, still in the same attire they had from before. It was almost like time had just frozen for most everyone. Sora smiled at the sight of the three.

"Hey! Long time, no see!" Sora greeted after fully opening the door. Mickey turned around from the book case, surprised. Same with Donald and Goofy except Goofy was putting back the painting he had clumsily knocked over and Donald was reading a book at the desk.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Donald, Mickey, and Goofy shouted in unison. Donald and Goofy tackled Sora in their usual fashion while Mickey and Riku hugged for a second then shook hands with Kairi.

After the tackling and such was over, seriousness came over Mickey's face once again. He looked at each of their faces, from Sora, to Kairi, then to Riku.

Sora decided to break the silence. "Um... Your Majesty? Why did you want us here?" He asked while fidgeting a bit.

The King sighed as he walked over to the book case. Dusting off one of the books, he handed it to Sora. "I was looking through Ansem's book case and found this one wedged in the back."

Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked at the semi-old cover of the book. On the cover had a picture of a small heart that looked a little faded. Sora carefully opened the fragile book. Inside, it was full of messy, quick writing.

"What's this for, your Majesty?" Sora asked.

"That book looks like it belonged to Xehanort or one of the other apprentices."

Riku grabbed the book from Sora and turned a few pages. "Hey... After the first three pages, it goes blank. Some of the pages are just empty while some look like they were torn out."

Mickey nodded. "Yeah, I suspect that they held more important information, but someone had taken them out and tried to get rid of them. The first three pages were barely any help. All it mainly said was that the Keyblade can bring peace or destruction. Nothing I haven't heard before."

Kairi spoke up now. "So, why did you want us to come here?"

Mickey turned to Kairi and let out a tired sigh. "As much as I'd hate to do this, but it can't be helped. Sora, Riku, Kairi, I need your help again. You see... Ansem the Wise told me that Xehanort had come to him about thirteen years ago, badly injured and with no memory of anything. He had took him in and nursed him back to health, partly because he couldn't just leave the young man to die and also since Ansem was curious. So... I kinda wanted to find out more about Xehanort, for... for Ansem." Mickey and the rest sadden a bit, remembering how Ansem had forever left them.

Riku bent down to Mickey's level and patted his old friend's back lightly. "Don't worry, we'll try to find out more about Xehanort, for you and Ansem." Kairi and Sora both nodded.

"Gee, thanks guys." Mickey said as he smiled once again. "But that's not the only thing I'd like you guys to do. You see, I've been having a bad feeling for awhile. Ever since the Organization was defeated. I'm not sure what it is, but just be a little more careful now, 'kay?"

Kairi, Riku, and Sora nodded.

"Hey, your Majesty? Are Donald and Goofy coming along?" Sora asked.

Mickey turned to Goofy and Donald, then back to Sora, shaking his head. "Sorry, Sora, but I kinda need them here. Sorry."

Sora frowned a bit, but tried to perk himself up again. "It's okay, your Majesty. Hey, Donald, Goofy!" He shouted. Holding out his arms he said, "One for the road?" Goofy and Donald understood immediately. They tackled Sora yet again.

Mickey, Riku, and Kairi just smiled at the sight. After Donald and Goofy finally got off Sora, the gang headed toward the door until the King stopped them one final time.

"Hey! Before you leave, I have one more thing to help you. When I vistited Ansem once, I saw a little girl following Ienzo. I never learned her name, all Ansem told me was that her close friends left one day and she started to help out Xehanort and the other apprentices. Maybe if you find her, you might be able to learn more about Xehanort. She'll be your best bet, that is, if you can find her. Well, good luck!"

Sora, Kairi, and Riku nodded and waved good-bye to the King, Donald, and Goofy. As they walked through the hallway leading to the Postern, Sora put his hands behind his head in his normal fashion, Riku had his thumb in his pocket, and Kairi just held her hands behind her back. No one said anything until they reached the Postern.

"Hey, Riku, Sora." Kairi started. Both Riku and Sora turned and gave her an acknowledging "Hm?" as they continued to walk. "Do you think we can visit the castle before we leave? You know, the castle where I lived in when I used to live here?"

Riku and Sora both nodded. "Sure! We can visit your home, Kairi." said Sora.

Kairi shook her head at what Sora had said. "No, my home is Destiny Island. With you two."

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The castle was completly fixed. It had all of it's former glory and with some new additions, like the side gardens and the mini-fountains scattered artfully around those gardens. The three walked to doors. The inside didn't have one thing changed. It was still the same. Riku grimaced a little. The outside didn't have the old feeling the inside held. The memories from when he was working for Maleficent were slowly creeping back into his mind, not letting him forget.

"Riku?"

Riku looked up to see Sora's worried face. "You alright? You looked kinda scared..."

Regaining his composure, Riku said, "Me? Scared? Listen, Sora," he smirked, "I'm not a wuss like you are."

Sora was about to protest but Kairi shouted for them to come upstairs.

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"What is this place?" Sora asked. Kairi had told the two to get upstairs to where she was, so they did, but they weren't sure what room this was. It looked like a very old library, but it had many slowly decaying pictures of people who had a some similar features with each other. Riku and Sora walked up to where Kairi was. She was staring at an old picture that had an old woman holding a young girl in her lap. Riku and Sora's eyes widen.

"Is that you, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"It looks like it is me. And that's my Grandma. I remember her... This place was where she once told me that the light in childrens' hearts brought back the worlds.. I know there's more to it, but I can't recall. All I remember is that here my Grandma had called me and my old friend here. Though... Everything after that is blurry..."

Riku and Sora looked at the picture and then to Kairi.

"You had a friend here? What was their name?" Riku asked.

Kairi smiled. "Her name was Hikari. She used to follow me around everywhere, since there was no one else our age or even around it. Hikari also liked to hum this tune all the time, no matter what she was doing... I wish I could remember it."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed. "You know what we should do? We should look for her too, Kairi!"

Riku smiled. "Yeah, we should look for her. Plus, you don't wanna disapoint Sora. He actually had a halfway decent idea." He finished with another one of his teasing smirks.

"Yea- Hey! What do you mean by that, Riku?"

Kairi giggled at Riku and Sora's current argument. She grinned and then walked to the door. " Hey, you guys! C'mon!" she shouted as she walked through the doors. Riku and Sora stopped their little debate and raced each other to see who could catch up to Kairi first.

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_"Hey... What's wrong, little girl?" asked a tall man. He had on a white, loose shirt and black slacks. His oddly colored white hair had three spikes, one on the left, one on the right, the other on top, but from behind you could see his hair went all the way down to near the middle of his back. His golden eyes looked sypmathetic towards the young, crying girl. Even though he was bandaged, he managed to pick up the sobbing girl. _

_"I-I'm... okay... Mister..." she managed between sobs and hiccups. She had dark brown hair with matching eyes. Her hair was kept in a messy ponytail with a yellow scrunchie. Her outfit was just a simple yellow dress with a flower border on the bottom and pastel pink slippers._

_The man frowned. "No you are not. You're crying. Now tell me why you are crying."_

_She looked up at him with her large, puffy, dark brown eyes. "M-My friend...left me... I-Im... alone.."_

_"Where did your friend go?"_

_"I dunno... I wish... I knew...but I... don't..."_

_The man patted the girl's head. "There, there. Want me to be your friend?"_

_Looking up again at the man, she said, "R-Really?"_

_Setting her down, he nodded. "What's your name?" he asked as he held out his hand._

_She messily whiped away her tears and snot with the arm that wasn't holding the man's hand. "I-I'm H-Hikari... What's y-your...name... Mister?" her hiccups still hadn't subsided._

_"... I don't have a name. Or, at least, not one I remember." _

_"What? How...can you have...no name?"_

_"I'll eventually have a name, don't worry, little Hikari."_

_After a few days, the white haired man finalled decided on a proper name for himself, Xehanort. His wounds healed in a matter of weeks, and he started to be a bit more active around the castle. Hikari followed Xehanort like a dog would do to a colorful chew toy. She hardly left his side, she sometimes even convinced her parents to let her stay the night with Xehanort. The days became weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly Xehanort had realized that he had stayed in Radiant Garden for almost a year. _

_Xehanort had made a few close friends that shared his thrist for knowledge and were more his own age, though he still let Hikari tag along. Xehanort's friends liked having Hikari around every now and then, she was pleasant to talk with and even though four soon going to be five, she could keep up with each of their conversations._

_"Shh..." said a very large, muscular man. He placed a small, sleeping Hikari in her cute, little bed. He bid her parents farewell and left the castle were Hikari lived. It's grandeur equaled that of the other castles in Radiant Garden. Though, that one that Hikari's family owned, the Kotsu's, was more white, and made of marble and other soft, shiny, and light materials. _

_Standing near one of the pure white fountains, stood a long blonde hair man, smirking at the large man._

_"... What is it, Even?" asked the large man._

_The long haired man, Even, just shook his head. "Oh, nothing, Eleus. It's just that, a man of your raw strength and size, putting s four year old to bed, it just strikes me as bit funny." Eleus just grunted and beckoned Even to follow him. Today was the normal day for all of them to meet up and just discuss various topics. Hikari once referred to it as 'just a day to hang', but Xehanort didn't like that term. He had said that it was 'too immature for men of our intelligence.'. _

_Once they arrived at the normal meeting place, the large fountain near Ansem the Wise's castle, they had found that with them there, only one was missing. _

_"Hey, guys, what took you so long?" asked a man with long black hair tied in a tight ponytail. The first thing you would notice about him is his eyepatch. Hikari immediately noticed it. Though being highly intelligent for her age, she was still a four year old. The first thing she said when she met him was, "Are you a pirate!" His response was a laugh._

_Even pointed to Eleus. "Mr. Softy here went to put Hikari to bed, Bleig."_

_Bleig snorted, but then stoppd when he saw Eleus' expression. "Hey, hey, hey! It's just a tease, Eleus!"_

_Eleus just shrugged it off and sat down on the fountain edge next to a man with large side burns and dreadlock-looking hair. He wore what everyone else had on, a loose T-shirt and a pair of slacks. Though Bleig and the younger one were wearing jeans. Speaking of the younger one, he was sitting a bit far from the others, close enough to listen, but far enough to be left out. He had silver-ish hair that completly cover his right eye and had his arms folded like he always did._

_"So..." said the man with the dreads. "Where is Xehanort?" _

_Before anyone could say something, Xehanort walked up with a box. "I think I'd be here." he said._

_"What's in the box?" Even immediately shot._

_Everyone looked at Xehanort, each wondering what was in it. Xehanort sat down beside the younger one, making him a bit surprised, and revealed what was in the box._

_"Ice cream?" asked the young one. _

_"Yes, Ienzo, ice cream. Ansem gave them to me, saying that we should try it. Called it 'Sea-Salt Ice Cream'." He pulled out a bar and handed each of them one. After everyone got one, they all started to eat them. They ate in silence until Xehanort spoke._

_"Hey, where is little Hikari?"_

_Bleig was about to make a crack about why she wasn't here, but the dreadlock man was too quick for him._

_"Are you just noticing, Xehanort?"_

_Xehanort's ears went slightly pink._

_"Don't worry, she just got sleepy and went home."_

_"Too bad too," Bleig said, unable to be quiet. "This ice cream is pretty good."_

_"So," Eleus started, "what is today's topic?"_

_Xehanort finished his ice cream bar. "Do you know what Ansem had just started to research?"_

_They all shook their heads. _

_"He has just started a study on hearts."_

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A/N: Gosh... Sorry, I've been so lazy lately! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! I'll try to update as fast as I can. Also, reviews really motivate me. Hint, hint


	3. A New World

**Kingdom Hearts III: Graveyard of Memories**

A/N: Up to the third chapter! . I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing, a little goes a long way.

Notes: _ITALICS---_ Shows flashbacks and memories. I also use them for thoughts but I use ' ' with them for thoughts.

------------------- Scene change, gotta love these things when ya get a bit lazy! And when I show that the chapter is over and have my little notes below it.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did... Well... Let's just say that shounen-ai fans would love it even more. XD

**--Chapter Three: A New World --**

Kairi held on tightly to the sides of her seat. This was her second time in the Gummi Ship, but she still didn't like it. Everytime a Heartless or Nobody ship came in view, she thought they were going to die. She would shut her eyes and start muttering prayers until either Sora shot them down. Sora and Riku found it very funny.

After they had been flying for awhile Kairi finally asked. "Where are we heading to?"

A quietness came over the Gummi Ship. Riku glanced at Sora who did the same thing back at Riku.

"Uhh..." Riku said. "I don't know... I guess we'll just stop by the first world we pass by."

"What!" Kairi exclaimed. "You mean you don't know where you're going? What kind of pilot are you?"

Riku gave her a slightly annoyed look. "Hey, at least I'm a better pilot than Sora or you put together."

Kairi and Sora had nothing to say to that, for he was right. Kairi had never even been in a Gummi Ship before and Sora wasn't the one who piloted when he was with Donald and Goofy.

They rode in silence for awhile until Riku annouced that they were approaching a world.

"Really?" exclaimed Sora. "Let's land! C'mon, land the ship, Riku!"

"Hey!" Riku shouted as he pushed an overly excited Sora away from the control pannel. "I'm going to land it, don't worry."

"Hey," Kairi said as Sora sat back down in his seat, "will this world have Heartless?"

"Hm... I don't know, Kairi. I guess we'll just have to see! Don't worry, me and Riku are plenty strong!"

Riku snorted at Sora's boast as he carefully landed the ship. "Don't give yourself a big head, your hair does that enough."

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"Nice landing, Riku!" Sora complimented as he helped Kairi from the ship. Riku had smoothly landed the ship in a clearing in some woods, hoping no one would find it.

"Where are we, you guys?" Kairi asked as she looked around.

"I don't know, but we should look around." Riku said as he started to walk off. Sora and Kairi ran to catch up with their silver haired friend.

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"Shush, Meeko. We're trying to sneak out and _not_ get caught." whispered a tan skinned young woman. She wore a tan dress that fit her quite nicely and had a red tatoo around her right arm and a beautiful blue necklace. Her long, black hair reached down to the bottom of her back and had strong, determined, almost black eyes.

Her long black hair whipped around her as she ran swiftly through the familar woods, away from her village. Every tree, turn and rock were oh so familar to the young woman, which was to her advantage as she was trying to get some "me" time.

As she turned to head towards the river, she met some unfamilar...things. She had never seen anything like them before, they started to rise from dark circles in the ground and suddenly she found herself surrounded by them. They might have been small, but they were completely black and had small, yellow eyes. Occasionally twitching as they headed towards her, they began to come closer.

The racoon she was holding, Meeko, let out a squeak of fear and ran to the top of her head.

The girl, though, wasn't as afraid as her pet. She ran and picked up a sturdy looking branch from the ground and got into a fighting position.

One of the black things jumped up. The young woman raised her arms in defense, expecting to be kicked or clawed by the thing, but instead heard a 'whoosh' sound. She slowly opened her eyes, and then quickly opened them in surprise.

"Are you okay?"

The young woman turned to her right to find a girl, Kairi. The young woman nodded to Kairi and then looked at what was going on as the girls stayed at the sidelines.

"Excuse me, but who are you all?"

"Oh! I'm so rude! I'm Kairi. That," she pointed to the spiky brunette swinging his Kingdom Keyblade, "is Sora and the other boy," her hand moved to the silver haired boy with the Way To Dawn Keyblade, "is Riku."

As if on cue, the boys finished the last Heartless and walked over to Kairi and the young woman.

"Hi there!" Sora greeted.

"Hey." said Riku.

"Hello, Kairi already tolf me your names. I am Pocahontas." The racoon jumped off of her head and back into her arms. "And this is Meeko. I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you people here? You don't look like those other people who came down here awhile ago."

"We came here to see if anything suspicous was going on." answered Riku. "And it looks like there is, since the Heartless are here."

"Those things..." Pocahontas said, "They're called 'Heartless'?"

"That's right." Sora said. "So, have things out of the ordinary been happening?"

Pocahontas thought deeply about Sora's question.

"Well," she started, " besides the Heartless that have just appeared, some men came down here, said they were claiming this land. They've been cutting down trees and digging up the soil. My people have been silently watching, but we can't for long, they're harming the earth and we won't allow it."

"Who came here?" asked Kairi.

Pocahontas shook her head. "I don't know who they are, but maybe they have something to do with those Heartless. Come on, I'll show you where my village is so we can come up with a plan. The others will be more than happy to help."

"Okay!" Sora agreed as he, Kairi, and Riku followed Pocahontas through the woods.

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"Ah, now aren't you glad you got a great guy like me to help you?" A man in a cream white dress shirt and black slacks. His blonde hair combed into a neat ponytail, but his face was covered by a decorative white mask with white feathers sticking out on each side, only revealing his nose and mouth.

"I must say, I did doubt you at first, but now I am glad I trusted you!" exclaimed a portly man holding a white pug.

"Well, Governor Ratcliffe, I'm glad your glad. Now then... For my payment-"

"Payment!" yelled Ratcliffe, tossing his pug aside. He stomped over to the masked man, face starting to get red. "I won't give you any gold of mine, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" the masked man backed away from the portly man. He rested on one of the still standing trees, not worrying if his shirt would get ruined. "I wasn't gonna ask for any of your worthless gold, I want-"

"Worthless! One once of gold is worth tens times as much as you would!"

"Calm down, didn't think you were so uptight about that stuff. Anyways, let me finish."

"Fine, you may."

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, your gold doesn't interest me. I'm searching for some people, gotta round 'em up for something. Not that you really care about that, though." The masked man started to walk around, hands behind his back, almost in a business-like manner.

"What I want for my payment is-"

"Governor Ratcliffe!"

The masked man ran behind a tree, hiding from the man who had just appeared.

"What!" shouted Ratcliffe, obviously mad that he was interupted, and his red face was a giveaway too.

"Oh, sorry, sir, just wanted to ask how long we had to keep cutting down the trees and digging for gold."

"I'll tell you when I want you to stop when I feel like it!"

The man flinched and nodded as he backed away.

"He's gone, you know." Ratcliffe announced.

"I know," said the voice that belonged to the masked man, "I climbed the tree for a nice view."

Ratcliffe looked up, trying to spot the man in the trees.

"Over here!" he shouted.

Turning around and looking up, he found the masked man. "Okay then, finish up what you wanted your payment to be. Hurry because I'm getting quite hot in this heat."

"I bet you are." muttered the masked man. "On second thought, I think I'll talk the payment over with my people, hope you don't mind." With that, the masked man jumped down from the tree, gracefully landing on his feet, and walked off.

"Hmph. The man might be irritating, but he did help me find this place and also can control those Heartless things to keep away from me. I guess I do owe him. Well, as long as he isn't after my gold, he's tolerable. Come now, Percy, we're going back for a nice, relaxing bath."

The pug, Percy, that had been just sitting near a tree, jumped up into his master's arms and was carried all the way back.

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"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"Hey, let's not fight, you gu-"

"What now! Gosh, you all have been on my case lately! What's your problem?"

"My problem! It's you whose the problem!"

Suddenly, the doors that concealed the two who were arguing, opened loudly, as a large man walked through.

"Calm down, your fighting can be heard all over this place." said the man with a stern and annoyed tone. He had on a white robe and matching white boots. His face was concealed with a white mask, like the others in the room were wearing. As he sat down at the table where the others were, he started to play around with his unruly, short brown hair. "Now then, what's with all the fighting?"

The blonde spoke first. "I had just came back and what do I get? I started to get nagged by this guy over here. All I was gonna ask was how that Ratty boy should pay me."

"You should spend more time focusing than on how that man is going to repay you!" exclaimed the man who he had been fighting with. His body looked that of a man in his early twenties and was sligtly muscular. He too wore a white mask that only showed his mouth and nose, but his attire was made up of a light tan tank top with matching light tan cargo pants.

"Hey! I came to discuss what the payment should be!"

"You just came back 'cause you didn't really know yourself!"

The blonde flinched a bit and sat back in his chair.

"Mind if I say something?" asked the only girl in the room softly. She too wore the white mask like the rest that only revealed her nose and a bit of her mouth. She had long, dark brown hair that was tied up in a twist and looked like she was sixteen. Her clothes were just a soft, sleeveless yellow dress that went just below her knees, on top of her dress was a tight equally yellow shirt that covered her torso and had a white ribbon tied around the waist, white shoes that snuggly fit her small feet, and a Dancer plushie sitting in her lap.

"Go ahead." said the stern man.

"Well, I think that we should focus on locating them first. If my theory proves correct, then we'll be one more step closer!" she said with a smile that could not be hidden by anything, not even her mask.

The large man nodded. "Yes, you are right. We should. Now then, you two go." he said, motioning to the men.

The two men slowly nodded and got up from their seats.

"W-Wait!" the young girl shouted as the two men started towards the door. They both stopped and turned around.

"What?" asked the blonde.

"Uh...Um..." the girl stuttered. "May I come with you two? Please?" she nervously asked, clutching the Dancer plushie in her lap.

The two men turned to glance at each other and then to the stern man.

"... Why do you want to go?" the large man asked the girl.

"I... I just want to... explore a little."

The man thought about her request. "... Don't get hurt."

The girl smiled and thanked him as she ran to catch up with the two men. As soon as they left, the man did the same.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay! I've been having a bit of a writers block for this fic and my Organization one. D: But I finally finished it, though it has the most horrible chapter title D! Another thing I'm happy about, I finally introduced the villians! Though I didn't even give named or anything, or much description, save for the girl, but it was all for good reason.

Also, I'm having a bit of trouble with worlds. As you can see, I already got a Pocahontas world (Though I'm not sure what I should call it yet. D:) and I have another world I'm going to go to, but I don't have any other new ideas! DD: So, if you would be kind enough, could you recommend some new worlds via review? Or even pervious world that you would like to see in your reviews.

Thanks in advance!


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